dubwise-er

“Hi Bisonrav,I'll have a rummage round over the next week or two & get back to you”

“Yeah no probs. Help yourself!”

“Help yourself & good luck with it all.”

“No probs.”

“Yeah they were just a couple of lads walking past so got them to jump in the pic.I think we must've been bored and just messin' about.There were 3 in The Dancing Tarantulas,Nasty, Monsta & Tim (Tinkerbell);a group of disperate youths if there ever was one.I was the "manager" to use the term very loosely.As the name suggests they "danced";... again, using the term in its widest possible sense.They were pretty out there and a good laugh though.I have some other flyers/photos/press articles about them.Will get to upload them at some point.”

“As seen in Lynsey Anderson's "The White Bus".”

“The bloody Plaza!?By the time most people got there they were usually too bladdered to care what it looked like.The curries were so hot that you couldn't actually "taste" the dishes but it was about the only place near the city that stayed open that late.If you could avoid slipping in the pools of puke around the door way then it was almost worth it.”

“Great photo!”

“Same,same.Definitely not like the old poly.The old poly was a bit of a dump and had "character" whereas this was a brand newbie with 'eavy 'eavy bouncers to keep out the riff raff and oi polloi, therefore if you weren't a student you had to go through the rigmarole of getting some student type from darn sarf or wherever to kindly sign you in...like they'd always done at the university union, but hadn't bothered with at The Cavendish.It definitely changed the atmosphere because there was nowhere near the mixed bag of people and the occasional nutter to spice it up.They did put on good bands though.....and cheap beer;usually in plastic glasses though and sometimes those horrible wobbly ones.
Oh yeah, Yukio Tani...I remember them...In fact if memory serves, for some very odd reason the guitarist in the band asked me would I like to be the singer as the previous one, a certain Muppet, ex Armed Force frontman and general man about town, had done one and the band were obviously desperate as I could barely whistle in the bath,never mind hold a choon,especially such Armed Force classics as "Moss Side My Home Town", "Cancer Ward" and newer ditties I had to try and learn.The practice rooms were called U Turn Studios beneath an old swimming baths in Hyde I think....? Anyway I remember it was f#@kin' freezing!Well after a couple of rehearsals I thought I was getting to grips with this singing in a band malarky and reckoned it was only a matter of time before The Albert Hall and a Royal Variety show beckoned. But I was wrong!Things didn't work out, due to "musical differences" as I recall i.e not being able to sing, as well as trying to throw in the odd Gary Glitter classic double-take look, with a bit of Alvin Stardust's beckoning black glove to add to the flavour....
And so I did the walk of shame and I may or may not have heard a slow hand clap....Well at least I gave it a "red hot go"as the say round these here parts .But it was you Abdom, it was you...I coulda been a contender,I coulda been somebody...etc.
Well I'm sure I didn't make all of it up?Then again......
I'll post up a flyer for Yukio Tani at the Dancing Weasel, don't think it's up here yet....? (Haven't been on here for ages and I've still managed to crap on!No change there then...)”

“I'm with you on that one Abdom;probably me fave place from my youth, with The Old Conti and a bit later Legends not far behind.It was more like a social thing really and often the bands were just part of the night's entertainment rather than it just being about them.Of many of the bands I know I saw there quite a few I don't really recall 'cos we'd be up the back near the bar area having the craic and often not paying that much attention to the bands.Well it was more about having a good night out really....The odd time you were skinters or couldn't get in you could get a couple of crates/ bins,stand in that entry where that red car's parked and watch through the window;not quite like being "at" the gig though.Before I ever started going there,round mid '77, older hippy types used to also call it The Art College,maybe 'cos skinning up was considered an art form.It's defo still there though and I think it's used by the council as an archive for old photos 'n that.”